


In Purpura Hominem

by kaiyaa



Series: Whumptober 2019 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aftermath, Aftermath of Violence, Auror Harry Potter, Auror James Sirius Potter, Auror Ron Weasley, Auror Teddy Lupin, BAMF James Sirius Potter, BAMF Ron Weasley, Explosives, F/M, Fred Weasley Lives, Gen, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship, Head Auror Harry Potter, Hurt James Sirius Potter, Hurt/Comfort, Magical Explosives, Minor Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Prompt #2: Explosion, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Strategist Ron Weasley, Whumptober 2019, Worried Harry Potter, Worried Ron Weasley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 09:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20905658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiyaa/pseuds/kaiyaa
Summary: Red Alert. Suspected Blast Attack in Diagon Alley. Unknown injuries and casualties.He meets eyes with Ron who’s sat opposite him in Harry’s study. Ron looks equally pale, an expression of dread evident.“James,” Harry lets out a strangled whisper at the same time that Ron chokes out “Fred and George.”





	In Purpura Hominem

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, to anyone that understands Latin, I'm so sorry. I used google translate for the title. My sincere apologies. It's supposed to mean "The Man in Purple." Don't ask why. I suck at titles. 
> 
> Second, I'm not completely satisfied with this fic. It could do with a lot more description but I'm struggling to write as it is so, overall, I guess this isn't bad. 
> 
> For now, this is a one-shot. I have no plans on making it into a chapter fic at the moment, but you never know what the future holds. Just don't count on it, any time soon lol. 
> 
> This one-shot is part of a larger 'verse/series that I'm currently working on. Fred Weasley is alive in this 'verse/series. I refuse to accept his death. More will be revealed later, as more stories are posted within the 'verse as to how he survived, but for now I hope this is enough. 
> 
> **Whumptober Prompt #2: Explosion**
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Red Alert. Suspected Blast Attack in Diagon Alley. Unknown injuries and casualties. _

The colour drains from Harry’s face as he shoots to his feet yanking off the chain around his neck, staring down at the message engraved on the back of their circular Auror issued, unique, identifying silver pendants. The black stag set against the silver blinks bright red as a shrill ringing noise issues from it. 

He meets eyes with Ron who’s sat opposite him in Harry’s study. Ron looks equally pale, an expression of dread evident. His own pendant still hangs around his neck, the usually white chess knight also blinking red and ringing alongside Harry’s. 

“James,” Harry lets out a strangled whisper at the same time that Ron chokes out “Fred and George.” 

The next second, the study is a flurry of movement as Ron and Harry scramble to put on their cloaks while tapping their pendants twice which stops the red blinking and incessant ringing. They snatch their Auror badges off of Harry’s desk, secure their wands within their wrist holsters (Harry fastens his necklace back around his neck) and thunder down the stairs into the living room. 

As Ron bends down to use Harry’s floo network to contact the Auror Department for further details, Harry’s mind races. 

He and Ron had stepped out of the Ministry for barely thirty minutes, needing to access a case file that Harry had issued home. He’d offered to go alone and get it, but with it being a fairly slow day at work, Ron had accompanied him. 

Maybe they should have never come home. 

Blast attack at Diagon Alley. The thought sends an uneasy chill up Harry’s spine. Diagon Alley was supposed to be safe. Diagon Alley was one of Harry’s first introductions to the wizarding world. It was possibly one of the most populated wizarding shopping streets within Central London. 

The idea of someone having died within the resultant explosion of the attack terrifies Harry.

“What’s going on?” 

Fuck. Ginny.

He looks up at his wife and he knows she’s seen the terror within his own. “Something's happened,” she states.

At the same moment, Ron pulls his head out of the fireplace and casts Harry a grim look. “We have to go. They don’t think the joke shop was hit but it’s chaos there right now so they can’t be sure. The MLE Patrol are on site assessing damage. The Aurors are heading there now. I told Teddy to meet us there directly.” 

“And James?” Harry asks, almost afraid to know the answer. “He didn’t send out the alert, did he?”

Ron shakes his head. “Adams sent out the alert. She and James were on patrol duty in different sections of Diagon Alley.” 

Harry’s heart skips a beat. What if James was caught within the attack?

“Harry, we’ll find him,” Ron says sternly, holding Harry by the shoulders. He then looks to his sister and Harry feels ashamed. He’s usually very level headed and by now, he’d have filled Ginny in on as much as he was allowed. After all, James isn’t only his son. But it’s his son that occupies the forefront of his mind and for the first time since he’s become an Auror, he’s struggling to compartmentalize. 

“There was an attack at Diagon Alley. James was on patrol along with another Auror. She checked in and called out the alert but…” 

“James didn’t,” Ginny whispers. “Fred and George?” she asks, this time looking towards her brother. Her face crumples slightly at his answering silence. She then looks to Harry. “I can’t come along, right?” It looks like it’s physically hurting her to stay behind, but after years of Harry working as an Auror, she knows he can’t bend the rules just for her. 

Harry shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Ginny. I wish you could.” 

“You bring him back. You find him and you bring him back, alright? You tell me the minute you find him.” 

Harry nods as he pulls her in towards himself, hugging her close. She trembles within his arms and holds him tightly. “Promise me,” she says into his ear. 

“I promise,” he whispers back.

“We’ll send word the minute we know something, Ginny. I’ll have Fred and George send word to Mum as well,” Ron assures as he opens up the front door, already stepping out. It doesn’t go amiss how Ron prefers to assume that his brothers are okay and neither Harry nor Ginny make an effort to correct him, wanting to believe the same. 

Harry marvels at Ron’s ability to keep a clear head despite not knowing how his own brothers may be faring. He’s focusing on comforting Harry and Ginny and yet another pang of shame courses through him. He should be the one reassuring his mate. 

He’s Head Auror. He should be the one with the level head right now. He pushes these thoughts to the back of his mind however, as he kisses Ginny in a silent promise to be back soon and follows Ron out the door and past the border of where the protective enchantments are cast over Harry’s home. 

A second later a loud crack rings through the afternoon sky and both men disappear from view. 

**~o~**

The first thing that assaults their senses is the sound as they cross the brick barrier situated behind the Leaky Cauldron. It’s loud and Harry has to physically stop himself from slamming his hands over his ears. On any given day, it wouldn’t be an issue but at the moment his nerves are on fire, everything is too much. 

As they get closer to the commotion, Harry’s heart drops. The attack seems to have happened at the junction between Diagon Alley and the entrance to Knockturn Alley. The entrance to Gringotts seems to be blown apart, debris littering the surroundings, standing out against the white of the building. 

Harry’s eyes, along with Ron’s immediately try and crane over the crowd that has gathered near the explosion site. They spot the multicoloured building at the far end, number 93. It seems intact and untouched. 

Ron’s nervously bouncing on his feet, seeming torn. They can hear Aurors and MLE Patrolmen trying to keep the crowd in check, asking people to step back. Harry knows Ron needs to make sure for himself that his brothers are unharmed. 

Honestly, he’d like to know himself as well. Ron’s done enough, trying to hold it together for Harry. Now it’s Harry’s turn. 

“Mate, go. I’ll handle things here, find out what happened,” Harry says putting a hand on Ron’s shoulder. 

“You sure? I should help…” 

“You are helping. Make sure they’re okay and send out word to Ginny and the Burrow,” he points towards a throng of reporters that haven’t seemed to have spotted either Harry or Ron yet who are standing a little ways away from the chaos. “They should find out from us, not them.” 

Ron straightens up, nodding. He throws Harry a look of thanks. “I’ll keep an eye out for James, too. He’ll be alright, Harry. He’s a smart kid.” 

Harry is unable to answer against the swell of mixed emotion. He watches Ron slip past the reports undetected by hiding behind a group of onlookers. Taking a deep breath, Harry walks towards the crowd and starts pushing his way through, letting the voices of his colleagues trying to handle the mob guide him. Every now and then a civilian flies backwards through the crowd, as though thrown back as the onlookers scatter to avoid them, but still managing to converge into the horde of people again. 

“Teddy?!” he calls out as he pushes and shoves his way through the last few people, his eyes immediately catching the dark blue head of hair. He sees the magical golden line, shimmering and floating in mid air, acting as a visual indicator, the wizard version of a “do not cross” police tape. 

“Oh, thank Merlin,” his godson practically cries as he whips out his wand. “Oi!” he yells out a second later as Harry’s buffeted forwards by the crowd, right into the golden line. He passes through harmlessly as his pendant glows golden, detecting his presence. The man behind him however, is flung backwards as soon as he touches the glittering line. 

A loud bang resonates through the air, as Teddy holds his wand up high. An eerie silence settles over the immediate company. “Back up, right now!” he yells. No one dares refute his order as reluctantly the mass of people take a unified step backwards. 

Teddy turns to a nervous but young, determined looking Auror beside him. “Any of them try to cross that line again, Trish, feel free to hex or arrest them for attempting to jeopardize an investigation,” he says loud enough to be carried through the crowd. 

Harry can’t help but smirk as they turn away and Teddy immediately starts filling him in. “This seems to be the origin of the attack,” he says pointing towards a large crater that seems to be set dead center at the junction of the two alleys. “We just finished searching for any signs of Dark Magic.” 

“And?” 

“There seem to be traces, but not strong enough to have caused this. Dark Magic may have aided the explosion in some way, but it doesn’t seem to be the primary cause,” Teddy explains. “I have a team out looking for James,” he adds quietly and Harry feels rush of affection for Teddy. 

“I know you’re trying to be Head Auror right now, but you’re allowed to worry about your son. We found his pendant intact a few feet away, on the edges of the range of the blast,” he says, pulling out a circular disc the size of a sickle, a black dog engraved within the centre, it’s chain, broken and dangling from one end. 

Harry holds out a hand and Teddy gently lays it on Harry’s palm. 

“He’ll be okay,” Harry says more to himself than anyone else. Clearing his throat, he asks, “Casualties?”

“We have about twelve injured so far, three of them severe and have already been sent off to St. Mungos. We’re waiting on the rest of the squads reports before we announce a final number. The paramedics are taking care of the minor injuries,” Teddy answers, pointing to a roped off section about fifteen feet away where a few wizards in white with the St Mungos emblem visible on the back of their robes were tending to a small group of victims who were all either seated on conjured chairs or hovering stretchers. 

“No deaths, not that we know of at the moment, at least.” 

Harry breathes a little easier at the news. His hand is now clenched tightly around his son’s pendant, a silent prayer, just hoping his son isn’t hurt. 

“Harry!” he hears a familiar voice call out. He turns around to see Ron running towards him, with a dirt-covered but very much alive, James, at his side.

Harry meets them halfway, immediately wrapping up his son in his arms, breathing heavily. “Merlin’s beard, you’re okay,” he says, voice thick with relief. “Fred and George?” Harry asks, looking at his best friend who nods, smiling. Harry visibly sags, “That’s good, that’s great. I’m glad they’re okay.” 

“Smart kid,” Ron says looking proudly at James and Harry looks to him in confusion. “He’s the reason there aren’t any casualties. He saw the guy, moments before it happened.” 

“This was intentional, then,” Harry says grimly as he lets go of his son. “What happened?” he asks while he silently conjures a patronus, a message to Ginny that their son is safe.

“I don’t know what he looked like, everything happened so quick. All I remember is this man, white, about five foot six, maybe seven, well-built, stepping out of knockturn alley. He didn’t look like he was trying to blend in.” 

“What do you mean?” Teddy asks. 

“He was wearing a dark purple cloak and stood really still at the corner of Knockturn alley. It’s why he caught my eye. He was almost...too still. And then…” James shudders, running a shaky hand through his hair. Harry’s heart breaks a little at how shaken up his son looks. He’s also noticed the cuts that litter the left side of James’s face and he’d been limping slightly as he had jogged alongside Ron towards them. 

Harry knows, though, that his son is an adult now, having already graduated the Auror training program as a full-fledged Auror about six months ago. James will come to him if the injuries are serious. 

“Take your time,” Harry offers, laying a steadying hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“He pulled out this cube, black, small enough to fit between two hands. It’s when he pulled out his wand and started muttering, circling it around the cube that I figured something was off. I yelled out for people to back away. He didn’t seem to care though. I advanced, asked him to stop doing what he was doing, to put down the cube. 

“He didn’t listen. Just looked up and smiled. I couldn’t see his eyes, the hood of his cloak was pulled low over them. He then threw the cube at that spot and disapparated,” James says, pointing towards the crater, “at the same time a group of kids ran out of there, right in front of me,” James explains, indicating towards the Magical Menagerie situated next to Gringotts. 

“I just knew I had to protect them and I had no idea what that thing would do so I ran in front of them, cast a shield charm around it just as it exploded. I got thrown off my feet right into Gambol and Japes joke shop. The charm didn’t hold but it might have helped lessen the impact, I dunno,” James rambles, slightly out of breath as he looks around, as if seeing the extent of the damage for the first time. 

“Uncle Fred and Uncle George heard the explosion and rushed out to help. Two of those kids were hurt badly along with a couple more civilians who were too close to the blast so I asked them to look after the uninjured while I took the others to St. Mungos.” 

James then looks to his father with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, sir, I know I should have checked-in, sounded an alert. But my priority at the time was getting the injured to St. Mungos.”

“You did good, James,” Ron praises while Harry nods, pride for his son igniting within his gut. 

“Ted, take James. Get him checked out with the medics first and then take him with you back to headquarters for his statement. He’s a key witness. This case takes priority. Anyone else not working a case is to be assigned to this one. We’ll hold a briefing once Ron and I are done here. Set up the conference room, we’ll be there in an hour.” 

Teddy nods, and while James looks like he wants to argue, one look at Harry’s stern face has him throwing a resigned but appreciative smile towards his father before allowing his godbrother to manhandle him towards the paramedics. 

“Thanks,” Harry says fervently, looking at Ron.

Ron shakes his head. “Don’t be. He found me. Fred and George were keeping the uninjured kids and their parents occupied, calming down the more hysterical ones. James came in to check on the rest and found me as well so…” Ron trails off, shrugging. “I’m just glad that he’s okay, mate. He’s practically my son too at this point.” 

Harry smiles but stays silent. While a part of his mind is at peace knowing his family is unharmed for the most part, the rest of him is subconsciously cataloguing the damage surrounding them, the potential suspects, he’s thinking about their next move. 

“I took a few statements from some that were willing to talk. Most of them said the same thing James did.” Ron says, and as Harry looks at him, he recognizes the calculating expression his friend is wearing. Ron’s always been good at spotting details, patterns, the things that fair few tend to miss at first glance. 

“Why keep going?” Ron questions out loud. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well,” Ron purses his lips. “James said that despite the fact that he was almost caught red-handed in broad daylight, rather than escape and try again some other time, he still went through with it.” 

“If he wanted a body count, he’d have made sure to not get detected,” Harry caught on. “James made sure there was the least amount of harm to civilians as possible.” 

“Exactly.” 

“This is a message,” Harry voices, horror-struck. “You think this isn’t a one off attack. There’ll be more to come.” 

Ron nods glumly. “I hope I’m wrong, Harry.” 

Harry is quiet, and he knows exactly what is running through both of their minds. Ron has rarely been wrong about his hunches over the years. As much as he wants to wish the same along with Ron, something tells him his best mate is spot on with his theory. 

James’s silver pendant is still clutched tightly within his palm. He knows how easily his son could have lost his life had he not been quick on his feet, able to think fast with the cards he was dealt. Harry could have easily been holding the pendant as a memento of his dead son, had things turned awry. 

“Let’s go,” he says to Ron. “We have work to do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this was okay!
> 
> As always, reviews are love!


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